Magnetic ore-separator.



N0. 882,824. PATENTED OUT. 9, 1906. H. H. WAIT.

MAGNETIC ORE SEPARATOR. APPLICATION 1pm) MAR. 20, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

o fi, o 28% fnaezzi'orr Mac '21,

No. 832,824. PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906. H. .H. WAIT.

MAGNETIC ORE SEPARATOR.

APPLI-QATION FILED MAR. 20, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0. 832,824. PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906.

H. H. WAIT.

MAGNETIC ORE SEPARATOR.

, APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1905.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

a I fiwv wm No. 832,824. PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906.

I H. H. WAIT.

MAGNETIC ORE SEPARA APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20,

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5v nanny n. WAIT. on CHICA NEW J ERSEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ncisors, secret on lN'llBRNATlONAL SEPAl-EATUR CGMPANY, (ll LHlCAGO, lLLlNOlS, A U

Application filed March 20, 1905. Serial No. 251,068-

J'u wZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, HENRY H. lVi-iir, a citizen of the United States, residing at ilhicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful lmprovement in ltlagnetic Ore-Separators, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to a magnetic oreseparator; and its ohject is, in general, to provide an improved, simple, and effective machine of the class mentioned in which the magnetic and electric circuits will he closely interlinked and in which the machine may be operated to produce effective separation of materials of low permeability with a comparativelylittle expenditure of energy.

i will describe my invention in detail by reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment thereof, and the parts, improvements, or combinations which I regard as novel will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Figure is a view of the i'nachine in elevation looking at the end thereof. vertical sectional elevation on line 2 2 of Fig. i. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on line 3 3 oi Fig. i. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View on line 4- oi Fig. 2. Figs. 5 and (i are detail fragmentary views illustrating how one of the magnetic bodies adjacent to the rotating drum can be adjusted concentrio to said drum to vary the angle at which separation takes place. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view of a portion of one of the. rotating annular pole-pieces of the machine, showing one form of the permeable projections upon'its periphery. Fig. 8 is a similar view showing another form of permeable projection. Figs. 9 and 10 are side views of segments of the annular drums indicated in Figs. 7 and 8, respectively. Fig. ll is a detail segmental view slwwing another, "form of teeth for said revolving annular pole-piece or drum. Figs. 12 and 13 are detail views showing still another modified form of projections upon the rotating drum or annular pole-piece, the projections in this case being indicated as magnetic pins set in the periphery of the drum.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several figures.

As shown in the drawings, the working air- 1g. 2 is a.

helix.

gap through which the material to he separated is passed is formed by the space he 5 5 tween a revolving cylinder and an adjacent magnetic body or armature, the revolving cylinder being provided with teeth or means for causing dispersions of the magnetic flux.

at its periphery, so that the more permeable to material in the mixture being treated will be attracted to the cylinder.

To oiiset or approximately balance the magnetic pull upon the cylinder, which is very great, a second magnetic body or arma e ture is provided approximately diametrically opposite the first-mentioned armature, and. the magnetizingdielix is located. to set up magnetic flux from said rotating cylinder in parallel through both of said magnetic bodies yo or armatures.

More particularly, the machine illustrated is provided. with a magnet-core which is sur rounded by a ma netiziiig helin c, preferably around the midd e porticnthereoi, so as to 7 5 produce magnetic poles at each end. Each and of the core may therefore he utilized working magnet and is provided with annular magnetic pole-piece or separating-cylinder 5. These separatingcylicders Z) l) are So arranged to revolve axially, and this can he accomplished very simply by mounting them directly upon the core c and providing journals for said core, sothat it may turn upon its axis. The core,-l1elix, and pole-pieces may 85 thus be compared to an ordinary spool, the heads and body of which are magnetic, while the central portion is surrounded by the An armature d is provided along oneside of the spool, having polar projections d 0 d facing the cylindrical surfaces of the annular pole-pieces b b, respectively, and so providing two working aingaps through. which the material to be separated may pass. For this purpose two hoppers h h are arranged above 5 the machine to receive the ore, these hoppers being provided with feeding mechanism, as

shown, by which the stream of ore can be directed upon the tops of the cylinders b b and carried aroundin the rotation thereof past 100 the polar projections d d of the stationary armature d. A balancing-armature e is also provided along the other side of the rotat ng magnet and is equipped with polar PIOJBO- tions 6 e, which face said rotating annular u 5 pole-pieces or cylinders b b at points substantially diametrically opposite the polar rojectionsd' d, the object bein to offset or alance so near as is practicab e the magnetic attraction upon the rotating magnet in order that the latter may turn with the greatest possible freedom in its bearings;

In order that the more permeable material in the mixture being treated may be attracted to the surface of the rotating cylinder rather than to the stationary magnetic body, the cylinder is provided with permeable projections or teeth ,u on its periphery, so that convergences of t e magnetic flux will be established toward the cylinder, it being known that the attraction of magnetic particles is, enerally speaking, along converging lines of orce. These convergences may be produced in a great variety of ways. The

surface of the cylinder may be grooved cir-' cumferentially, as shown in Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10. It may he provided with serrations or teeth, such as shown in Fig. 11, or it may be provided with a number of iron pins set in its periphery, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. In most cases I prefer to employ the serrated teeth. The annular pole pieces should be laminated transversely in order that they may turn freely in the intense ma netic field, and this laminated construction lends itself readily to the roduction of a toothed surface. The laminated construction is also preferable to the production of the flux convergences referred to, since the lines of force naturally tend to converge upon the edges-of the individual laminations. In many cases, however, it will be desirable to use the pin construction indicated in Figs. 11 and 12, these pins forming teeth of considerable length upon the surface of the separating-cylin In such case I find it desirable to adjust the feeding mechanism to feed the ore or other material being treated in a thin stream upon the c linderthat is to say, in a stream thinner than the length of the teethso that the 'teeth will effectively reach all portions of the stream of-material in such a manner as to draw out the most finely-divided magnetic particles. I also prefer in such cases to feed the ore throu h the Working air-gap at a velocity faster tian the velocity of the surface of the cylinder, so that the ore in falling will sift through the teeth, or the effect may also be produced by causing the pins to pass throu h' the mixture at a velocity greater than 516 velocity of the stream of material to freely Work throu h the stream. Such a construction and moc le of o eration-is especially desirable for taking out fiighly magnetic particles, such as iron-powder, from a mixture of other pulverized material which is in too finely divided a form to be passed through the se arator in a thin enough sheet to permit all the iron particles to come in contact zvith the ordinary roughened magnetic surace.

As previously mentioned, the working surface or revolvin pole-pieces b b of the magnet are made of laminated iron or steel to avoid eddy-currents due to the difference in magnetic density near the stationary armatures as compared with the surrounding parts of the cylindrical pole-face. If the lamina tions are comparatively thin radially and come in direct contact with the central solid core of the magnet, it will be seen that there 'would still be a somewhat higher density in the portions of the solid core nearest the stationary armatures. If any considerable difference in density existed, eddy-currents would therefore be caused in the revolving core 0. In order to reduce such eddy-currents to a negligible amount, the annular laminated pole-pieces b b are separated by' small air-gaps rom the body of the core. These air-gaps have the effect of distributing the magnetism so that it is practically equal all around the circumference. This saturation can be produced byany suitable construction. I have shown longitudinal stri sff of non-magnetic material upon the surface of the core forming distance-pieces, the laminated rin s which form the annular pole-piece being tfius su ported by said distance-pieces instead of irectly by the core. It is not essential that such distance-pieces be made of non-magnetic material, since saturated projections or distance-pieces of projections of iron wouldbecome so magnetically saturated that they could not carry all the flux and would cause a distribution thereof circumferentially around the core, as described. This feature of my invention will be of utility in magnetic apparatus generally, and I do not wish to limit its application in this respect to magnetic separators only.

Referring again to the balancing-armature e, I prefer to form the polar pro cctions e e, as shown most clearly in Figs. 3 and 4, with faces of small area as compared to the polar faces of the workin armatures and set closely to the surface of t e rotating magnet.

The magnetic flux through the balancingarmature bein in parallel with the working flux through tfne'armature d, it is apparent that this balancing-flux is, in effect, leakage and should be reduced to the smallest amount possible in order to produce the balancing effect. The ma netic 1111 is proputional to the square of the ensity of the magnetic flux, and by making the area of the balancing polar projections e e comparatively small and bringing them as close as practicable to the surface of the rotating ma net I am enabled to secure a magnetic pul upon the rotating magnet sufficient to ofiset or approximately balance the pull toward the working armature with the expenditure of a minimum amount of energy in producing the balancing or leakage flux.

Another feature of the machine to which I from the back and into'thepolar projection.-

Several holes are prdvided in the pro ection threaded to receive the threaded end of the ,1

bolt, and the projection can be shifted into such a position as to receive the bolt in any one of these holes, as illustrated in Figs. 4, 5, and 6. The object of this adjustment is to provide means for changing the angle at which separation takes place without unduly disturbing the other magnetic conditions.

it should be stated that in the machine shown in the drawings the spiders 7c is at the ends of the machine which support the journals for the ends of the rotating magnet should be of non-magnetic metal, so as to confine the flux to its path through the annular laminated pole-pieces and to prevent leakage.

The operation of the machine will be readily understood. The ore received in the hoppers h h is fed upon the upper surface of the annular pole-pieces b b and is carried around in the rotation thereof through the working air-gaps between said pole-pieces and the polar projections d d of the armature d. The face of each polar rejection is preferably covered by a thin s ield or plate Z, of nonmagnetic metal, (although thin sheet-iron may be used,) and the permeable particles in the mixture passing throu h the working air-gap are directed toward t e surface of the rotatingcylinders, being drawn along converging lines of force toward the edges of the teeth. Adjacent to the und sides of the rotating cylinders the usual ,divider-plates are provided in proper adjustment so that the ma netic particles adhering to the cylinder wil be'carried past the dividerlate, while the non-magnetic particles wil fall down on the other side thereof, the separation-being thus completed. The magnetic flux from the cylinders is so localized and directed through the return-magnetic circuits d and e that there is very little magnetism noticeable/upon the surface of the cylinders along the line midway between the two arma tures (Z and 6, so that the attracted material will be released along the line where the density has been very greatly reduced. If desired, however, any attracted particles adhering to the cylinder may be removed at this point by brushes, such as are well-known in the art.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim- 1. In a magnetic separator, the combin'ation with a magnet-core mounted to rotate axially, of a magnetizing-helix surrounding said core, a laminated annular pole-piece mounted upon said'core to rotate therewith, said pole-piece having means for causing dis ersions of the magnetic flux at its perip ery, fixed armatures facing said. rotating pole-piece on approximately diametrically opposite sides thereof and completing parallel branches of the magnetic circuit of said core, and means for passing material to beseparated between said revolving annular pole-piece and one of said fixed arm atures.

2. In a magnetic separator, the combination with a magnet-core, of a magnetizinghelix surrounding said core, a laminated annular pole-niece for said core, mounted to rotate axially and having means for securing dispersions of the magnetic flux at its periphery, a stationary armature adjacent to the periphery of said annular pole-piece and completing the magnetic circuit of said core, and means for passing material to he separated between said armature and pole-piece into contact with said pole-piece.

3. in a magnetic separator, the combination with a core, of a magnetizing-helix surrounding the central portion of said core, laminated annular polepieces concentric with said core at either end of said helix, said annular pole-pieces being mounted to rotate axially and having means for causing dispersions of the magnetic flux at their peripheries, a stationary armature on one side of said core facing said annular pole-pieces, means for passing material to be separated between sald armature and each of said rotating pole-pieces, and a stationary armature facing said rotating pole-pieces substantially diametrically opposite said firstmentioned armature.

4. In a magnetic separator, the combination with a magnet-core and a magnetizinghelix therefor, of an axially-rotatable laminated drum forming a pole-piece for said core, a stationary armature at one side of said drum, means for feeding material to be sepa rated between said drum and said armature, and an armature facing said drum substantially diametrically opposite the first-mentioned armature, said last-mentioned armature having a face of smaller area set in close proximity to the drum, whereby the magnetic pull upon the drum is approximately balanced with a minimum'lealrage of the magnetic flux, substantially as set forth 5; In a magnetic separator, the comb nation with a revolving magnet, a magnetizlnghelix therefor, an armature, means for passing material to be separated throughthe working air-gap between said magnet and portioned. and-placed so as to provide for a.

balancing-flux .of lesser area and higher denv sity than is provided in the working air-gap.

6. In a magnetic apparatus, the combination with an axially-rotatable magnetic core and a magnetizing helix or helices energizing the same, an annular laminated pole-piece mounted upon the core to rotate therewith, an auxiliary magnet or magnets completing the circuit for Saidmagnet, adjacent to said pole-piece, and means separating said polepiece from said core, whereby the distribution of the magnetic flux be tween the core and pole-piece is substantially equalized around the circumference of the core.

7 In a magnetic separator, the combination with a rotatable magnetic separatingcylinder having means for causing flux dis persions at its periphery, of: a stationary armature adjacent saidcylinder, means for passing material to be separated between said armature nd cylinder, apolar projection upon said ar ature facing said cylinder and concentric thereto, and means for giving said projection different positions thereon to vary the angle at which separation occurs.

'8. In a magnetic separator, the combination with a revolving magnet, said magnet being. provided with magnetic teeth, of an ar mature adjacent said revolving magnet, means'for passing material to be separated between said magnet and said armature, and a balancing-armature. facing said revolving magnet to op ose said first-mentioned armature and in parallel relation thereto with respect to the magnetic flux.

9. In a magnetic separator, the combination with a revolving magnet provided with an annular laminated pole-piece, an armature adjacent said revolving pole piece, means for passing material to be separated between said pole-piece and armature, and an armature facing said pole-piece opposite said first-mentioned armature, said armatures being of the same polarity and of opposite polarityto said pole-piece, and. in parallel relation to said electromagnet and pole-piece with respect to the magnetic flux.

10. In a magnetic separator, the combination with a rotatable magnetic separatingcylinder having means for causing fluk dispersions at its periphery, of a stationary armature adjacent said cylinder, means for passing material to be separated between said armatureand cylinderr, a polar projection upon: said armature facing said cylinder and concentric thereto and provided with a series'of openings, and a bolt adapted to pass through said armature into any one of the series of openings in said projection to give said projection different concentric positions with respect to said cylinder.

11. in a magnetic separator, the combination with an axially-rotatable magnetic sepation for said armature facing said cylinder and adjustable upon said armature in a path concentric with said cylinder, and a balancing-armature on the opposite side of said cylinder, said armature being-cut away to have a polar 'rface of small area.

. 12. In a magnetic separator, the combination with a rotatable magnetcore, of a magnetizing-helix surrounding a portion of said core, a laminated annular pole-piece mounted upon the end of said core to rotate therewith, said pole-piece having means for causing flux dispersions at its periphery, an armature adjacent said pole-piece, means for passing material to be separated between said armature and pole-piece, and a balancing-armature facing said armature to oppose said firstmentioned armature and in parallel relation thereto with respect to the magnetic flux.

13. In a magnetic apparatus, the combination with an axially-rotatable magnetic core, of a magnetizing-helix surrounding the same, an annular laminated pole-piece mounted upon the core to rotate therewith longitudi nal non-magnetic strips upon the surface of the core supporting said laminated pole-piece and forming distance-pieces to separate said pole-piece from the core, and an auxiliary magnet completing the circuit for said core,

whereby the distribution of the magnetic flux between the core and pole-piece is substantially equalized around the circumference of the core.

In witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of March, A. D. 1905.

HENRY H. WAIT.

Witnesses:

IRVING MACDONALD, DE WITT C. TANNER. 

